here - Global Bach Community

May 06 pp. 20-23
4/12/06
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The 45th Conference on Organ Music
The University of Michigan, October 9–12, 2005
Organ conferences centered on
repertoire, performance practice, and
history rather than purely practical matters are few and far between. Outside of
the American Guild of Organists conventions and pedagogy conferences, or
single-topic workshops given by other
entities, the annual University of Michigan Organ Conference stands out for its
breadth and depth. The conference’s
three days, packed with presentations
by local, national and international
experts, offer a terrific opportunity to
delve into academic topics and reengage with the details of the organ and
its history. In addition, the conference is
a bonus for Michigan students, exposing
them to topics, lecturers and performances beyond the tutelage of the
excellent Michigan faculty.
The annual organ conference is the
brainchild of Dr. Marilyn Mason. When
asked how long she has been involved
with the conference, she replied:
Yes, I have been responsible for all of
them!! I began the first conference in 1961
because my manager, Lillian Murtagh,
had written that Anton Heiller would be
coming to the USA. Right then I said we
wanted him in October, and we signed
him for the first Conference on Organ
Music. Through the years I have had assistance from both James Kibbie and
Michele Johns, but I have been responsible (with a conference committee) for the
program and presenters.
All of the conference events this year,
except for one lecture and one concert,
were held at Hill Auditorium, home of
the Frieze Memorial Organ. Having
survived several tonal re-workings,
water damage two decades ago, and gloriously emerging following an extensive
renovation of the auditorium completed
in late 2004, the organ is in fine shape.
In expert hands and played with clarity,
this instrument is quite versatile. The
deepened color scheme of the auditorium and the organ’s newly gold front
pipes lend an aura of warmth and
ambiance previously lacking, and in this
environment the organ’s smoky-sounding strings, full-bodied principals, and
high-pressure reeds shine.
Conference lectures took place in a
pleasant, light-filled meeting room on
the mezzanine level of the facility, allowing easy access to the auditorium downstairs and the array of colorful restaurants in Ann Arbor’s downtown area.
Anticipation was in the air as the first
lecturer, Christoph Wolff, the world’s
foremost Bach scholar, took the podium.
Christoph Wolff, born and educated
in Germany, is Adams University Professor at Harvard University. He has published widely on the history of music
from the 15th to the 20th centuries;
recent books include Bach: Essays on
His Life and Music, The New Bach
Christoph Wolff, Marilyn Mason, Samuel Swansen, Toni Vogel Carey (MVO)
Reader, and Johann Sebastian Bach: The
Learned Musician. Wolff is simultaneously erudite and engaging, bringing the
listener into his research process, sharing how he has arrived at connections
and conclusions. He is an articulate
speaker, and conference attendees were
privileged to hear him present four lectures on J. S. Bach and his music.
Bach lectures by Christoph Wolff
Wolff’s first lecture, “J. S. Bach and
His Circle,” offered insight into the
societal and musical influences surrounding the great master. The circle,
as defined by Wolff, consisted of musicians of the Bach family, influential
musicians outside the family, students
of Bach, and patrons of Bach. The historical depth of his musical family is
unique to Bach. The combination of
profundity and expressivity in the music
his relatives composed is fundamental
to understanding Bach’s work. The
young Bach was immersed in this music,
full of innovative practices.
One of the prominent musicians influencing the young J. S. Bach was family
friend Johann Pachelbel, who trained
keyboardists with a mixed repertoire of
Italian, French and German music. Central Germany was a colorful cultural
scene, with many small political entities,
and this was reflected in its music. German composers took the best of what
existed from eclectic sources and combined it in a new way, creating a cosmopolitan style. Pachelbel was an important transmitter of this mixed style.
As a teacher, Bach allowed his students to develop along their own path,
according to their own tastes and pace,
and nurtured their best individual qualities. His students worked with him all
day every day, and those with profes-
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The query “Did Bach write concertos
for organ and orchestra?” provided the
motivation for Wolff’s second lecture.
His conclusion is that the bulk of Bach’s
harpsichord concertos originated as
organ concertos that were later
reworked into cantata movements. He
guided listeners along the trail that led
to this thesis. Some of the signposts
along the trail included these facts: The
bulk of the orchestral repertoire is from
the Leipzig period. The Brandenburg
Concerti, though dedicated in 1721, are
actually pre-Cöthen and have a relationship to the Weimar cantatas; these
works could not have been written in
Cöthen for political reasons. Idiomatic
writing in the E-major harpsichord concerto and its keys, range, and style point
to organ performance. Wolff plans to
present an edition of concertos using
the right hand parts Bach typically
wrote out (he improvised the left hand)
and the full harpsichord part.
Wolff’s third lecture was “Bach and
the Silbermann Connection.” Johann
Sebastian Bach and organbuilder Gottfried Silbermann met in 1724 when
Bach played a concert in Dresden on
the new organ at the church of St. Sofia.
Bach was a technical expert, able to converse at Silbermann’s level, and frequently examined the structure,
mechanics, and acoustics of new organs.
Another important meeting occurred in
1736 when Bach played the dedication
of a new Silbermann organ at the
Frauenkirche. When Silbermann was
experimenting with building a fortepiano, he called on Bach to examine the
prototype. The two were also known to
have examined a new organ in Naumburg in 1746, the largest instrument
built by Hildebrandt.
Wolff’s final lecture was on the
Clavierübung Part III. Both Kuhnau
and Lübeck had published volumes
titled “Clavierübung” to train performers and composers, and Bach selected
this title in order to accommodate several volumes of his work. At the St.
Thomas School and Leipzig University,
Bach was surrounded by colleagues who
were publishing. Bach was at a disadvantage because he had no academic
degree, but needed to establish that he
had the credentials to teach. He wanted
to publish a series that would show he
was a very experienced, innovative,
scholarly musician, highly qualified to
serve as music director and cantor at St.
Thomas. In 1723, Bach added a title
page to the Orgelbüchlein (composed in
Weimar), doing the same for the Inventions and Sinfonias and the Well-Tempered Clavier in order to document his
teaching method.
While Part IV of the Clavierübung,
the Goldberg Variations, portrayed
Bach as a keyboard master, it was Part
Marcia Van Oyen
III that identified him as an organist,
confirming his public reputation. Such a
collection of organ music was unprecedented, including works at the upper
limits of organ technique, testing Bach’s
ability as a composer as well. At the time,
there were probably only twelve organists with the ability to play the large
chorales in the collection, so as a marketing strategy, Bach added the smaller
chorales and duets, which could be
played on the harpsichord or clavichord.
In addition, the pieces are a musical catechism to be studied daily, using teachings of the Lutheran faith and hymns of
the Mass. The title page of the Part III
includes the phrase “for the recreation
and education of the soul,” and is the
only volume of the four that refers to
education. In addition, it is the most
comprehensively thought out and profound of all Bach’s collections, standing
at the threshold of Bach’s late works.
The Clavierübung was a systematically developed project, composed in the
second half of the 1730s, and published
in 1739. Part III is an ideal organ concert as Bach would have conceived it,
beginning with a prelude, ending with a
fugue, with chorales in between; he may
have played the large pieces for the dedication of the Silbermann organ in the
Frauenkirche in Dresden in 1736. On
the heels of Wolff’s lecture on Part III,
doctoral students of Marilyn Mason
(David Saunders, Andrew Meagher,
Marcia Heirman, Kirsten Hellman,
Monica Sparzak, and Kim Manz) played
the complete work on the Fisk organ in
Blanche Anderson Moore Hall at the
School of Music. Wolff gave a brief
description and guide for listening to
each piece.
Typically, the chorales or the prelude
and fugue are excerpted for concert
use, but hearing the collection as a
whole brings to light Bach’s carefully
planned compositional architecture and
enhances the beauty of the works. By
the time the final fugue is played, no
introduction or explanatory note is necessary—the work is heard as a natural
conclusion to what has come before.
Hearing the pieces in one sitting is
demanding for the listener, weighty
stuff even for the organ crowd, but it is
a very satisfying experience.
Dr. Mason’s students played the
demanding pieces very ably, handling
the sensitive action of the Fisk organ
well. This organ is an important historical
teaching tool, and its tonal palette and
unequal temperament provided the requisite colors to elucidate Bach’s works.
The Global Bach Community
Following the Bach concert, conference attendees were invited to join a
lunch-time discussion with leaders of
the Global Bach Community: president
Samuel Swansen, vice president Marilyn Mason, secretary Toni Vogel Carey,
and advisory board member Christoph
Wolff. The community was founded in
2000 with the following mission: to recognize and foster the common spirit
that exists universally among lovers of
Bach’s music, to facilitate Bach-centered projects worldwide—artistic,
educational, social and spiritual, to help
the Bach community flourish, in part
through the ability to raise funds not
normally available to individual Bach
organizations. In cooperation with The
Bach Festival of Philadelphia’s website,
the Global Bach Community has
emerged as the central resource for
Bach organizations worldwide
(www.bach-net.org).
Lectures—Innig, Hamilton, and
Barone
Rudolf Innig has concertized
throughout the world and made numerous recordings for radio broadcast as
well as commercial sale, including the
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ent in the pipe organ world: “There is
never any one way any more than there
is any one player.” He closed with one
more recording: the Toccata from
Boëllmann’s Suite Gothique played by
an accordion band. “It’s the ultimate in
flexible wind,” Barone quipped.
Michael Barone and Jerome Butera (MVO)
At the reception honoring Robert Glasgow on the stage of Hill Auditorium (KC)
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ANDOVER
Choral played on the piano by Vladimir
Viardo of the University of North Texas.
(If you play or are fond of this piece, this
is a must-have recording, available from
<www.propiano.com>.)
Every so often, Barone would punctuate the music with a subtly humorous facial expression and a cryptic
comment—vintage Barone. At the end
of the session, he offered this thought,
demonstrating his own openness to
and fascination with the variety pres-
BUZARD
complete works of Messiaen. His organ
teachers include Gaston Litaize and
Michael Schneider. He won the competition of the Conservatories of the Federal Republic of Germany in the organ
category in 1975. His current project is
recording the complete organ works of
Rheinberger on 12 CDs, and he lectured on this music.
The soft-spoken Innig confessed his
initial skepticism about recording
Rheinberger, but having become fond
of Rheinberger’s music, then told the
audience, “I want not only to inform,
but to convince.” Compared to his contemporaries Mendelssohn, Brahms, and
Liszt, Rheinberger’s life and education
at the Munich conservatory were unremarkable. He wrote music simply to
express joy, his style was provincial
rather than cosmopolitan, and his music
is not innovative. Innig asserted that
Rheinberger’s music has receded into
history due to these factors. By the time
he began to write organ sonatas late in
life, Rheinberger had already composed
numerous symphonies, operas and
songs. It is in the organ sonatas that he
truly developed his personal style, composing at least one large organ work per
year 1875–1894. Innig hopes to garner
attention for these works with his
recording series.
Stephen Hamilton is minister of
music at the historic Church of the Holy
Trinity (Episcopal) in New York City
and has recorded Marcel Dupré’s La
Chemin de la Croix to great acclaim. He
studied with Marie-Claire Alain, had
the opportunity to play L’Ascension for
Messiaen, and has an extensive collection of correspondence between Marcel
Dupré and both Arthur Poister and
Robert Shepfer. During his lecture,
“The French Connection,” he shared
anecdotes, recounting his experiences
with various teachers, including Russell
Saunders (who taught the fourth-grade
Hamilton), as well as personal reflections. The bulk of his presentation dealt
with the life of Marcel Dupré and his
value as a pedagogue. He distributed a
complete listing of Dupré’s organ
works, encouraging the performance of
the extensive oeuvre beyond the six or
seven typically played works.
Michael Barone, host of the radio program “Pipedreams,” and self-proclaimed
master of playing CDs rather than playing the organ, is clearly more comfortable when fiddling with the knobs and
controls of hi-fi equipment rather than
giving a formal lecture. He has the selfconfidence and sense to let the music
speak for itself, rather than interrupting
or pre-empting it with unnecessary chatter. He reminded the audience that the
art of recording the pipe organ is relatively new, coming into its own after the
invention of electricity in the 1920s. His
presentation was an enjoyable musical
survey of playing styles entitled, “They
Did It That Way?!”
Drawing from his vast library of
recordings, Barone made his point by
juxtaposing Widor’s performance of his
Toccata at age 80 with a lightning-fast
rendition played by G. D. Cunningham,
Dupré’s whirlwind take on his own Gminor Prelude and Fugue in his youth
and a much older Dupré playing one of
the Preludes and Fugues from Opus 36.
He offered a “kaleidoscope of interpretive possibilities” by playing several contrasting renditions of Bach’s first Trio
Sonata and injected some levity with an
outlandish performance of Bach’s Dminor Toccata. Most interesting was a
performance of Franck’s B-minor
QUIMBY
Stephen
PARSONS
and
OTT
Delbert Disselhorst
Hamilton (MVO)
Organ concerts—Hamilton,
Disselhorst and Innig
Three artists presented evening concerts in Hill Auditorium: Stephen
Hamilton, Delbert Disselhorst, and
Rudolph Innig. Hamilton’s selection of
repertoire, labeled “Alain and His Circle,” included L’Ascension by Messiaen,
the Te Deum by Langlais, Trois Mouvements pour orgue et flute by Jehan
Alain, and Prelude and Fugue in B
major by Dupré. Hamilton’s playing is
fluid and virtuosic, and he knows how to
coax the loveliest sounds from the Hill
organ. He is expressive with his physical
movement at the console, even “conducting” with a free arm at times. His
performance of the sustained prayer in
L’Ascension didn’t seem static, but felt
alive, moving forward. He attributes this
feeling of forward motion to a year
spent accompanying for Robert Shaw:
subdivide always. Flautist Donald Fischel joined Hamilton for Alain’s Trois
Mouvements for organ and flute, a work
that deserves to be heard far more
often. Particularly in the second and
third movements, the organ and flute
HENDRICKSON
21
May 06 pp. 20-23
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10:56 AM
Page 22
blend seamlessly with beautiful effect.
The Dupré B-major began brilliantly,
but spun out of control due to a glitch
with the piston sequencer. Despite an
accelerated tempo, Hamilton held the
piece together to finish with success.
Hamilton returned for an encore—
Alain’s Litanies—played with a frantic,
exciting, if blurry, rush of virtuosity.
Delbert Disselhorst, professor of
organ at the University of Iowa and
graduate of Michigan, is an organ conference regular, performing every few
years. His memorized program was
ambitious, opening with the Prelude
and Fugue in G minor by Brahms,
negotiated with seamless manual
changes, perfectly under control. Following the chorale prelude and fugue
on Meine Seele by Bach, he launched
into another tour de force, a Passacaglia
by Swiss composer Otto Barblan. This
Brahmsian work includes rhythms reminiscent of the Bach C-minor Passacaglia dressed in weighty, dense harmonic clothing.
After intermission, Disselhorst offered
a solid rendition of Mendelssohn’s
Sonata III, followed by Bach’s Sonata
III, played with an unfussy neutral
touch. The Theme with Variations by
Johann Friedrich Ludwig Thiele, a virtuosic torrent of notes, closed the program
with moto perpetuo pedal and a cadenza
for the manuals. Disselhorst delivered an
heroic performance with a pleasing variety of texture and drama in the repertoire selected.
Rudolph Innig has clearly developed
a passion for Rheinberger’s organ
music. He approached the console and
took command immediately with
expressive, dramatic playing. His program consisted of three sonatas, including the F major, op. 20, the last sonata
Rheinberger composed (1899). This
sonata is subtitled “Zur Friedensfeier”—for the ceremony of peace, and
celebrates the confidence in Germany at
the time that a world war in the near
future would be avoided. Rheinberger’s
sonata forms are irregular, but the
movements are often related to one
another with common themes and intervals. Sequential writing, as in the Dminor Sonata, op. 148, often lends
shape to the movements. The works are
rhythmically energetic, akin to
Mendelssohn but with denser writing,
although they are not dissonant or highly chromatic. Innig’s registration consisted of foundation stops with reeds at
various volume levels for the most part.
Following Innig’s concert, university
carilloneur Stephen Ball and his students hosted a candlelit reception in
Burton Tower, home of the Baird
memorial carillon. Guests had the
opportunity to view the massive bells
and try out the carillon’s keyboards.
Andrew Meagher at the Fisk (MVO)
Students of Marilyn Mason (MVO)
Recently, Michigan has recently become
home to a second carillon, located in a
modernistic tower on the north campus.
Student recitals
Three doctoral recitals by students of
Marilyn Mason afforded the performers
a larger audience than they otherwise
would have had and a nice opportunity
to play for professional colleagues. Seth
Nelson played the complete Widor First
Symphony, whose fifth movement is the
famous “Marche Pontificale.” Performing gargantuan works such as this from
memory happens only in the rarefied
atmosphere of intense study and focus,
a feat always eliciting admiration from
an audience.
Doctoral candidates Shin-Ae Chun
and Alan Knight also performed dissertation recitals, Ms. Chun particularly
shining in her rendition of the Liszt Prelude and Fugue on B-A-C-H. Joseph
Balistreri, Michael Stefanek, Elizabeth
Claar, Matthew Bogart, students of
James Kibbie, played a concert at Hill
Auditorium on Tuesday afternoon, each
giving a commendable performance.
Church music at the conference
For a number of years, the conference has opened with a worship service
or hymn festival, and has included a lecture or two on a worship-related topic.
The inclusion of church music elements
in an otherwise scholarly conference
acknowledges the importance of service-playing skills for organists, gives a
good opportunity for the local AGO
chapter to participate, and provides
another event to which the public can
University of Michigan Forum
The University of Michigan
27 Institute of Organ & Church Music
June 25–27, 2006
th
Faculty:
Degree Recitals:
Gordon Atkinson, Christine Clewell, Ralph
Kneeream, Michele Johns, Tapani Yrjola
Scott Hyslop, David Saunders, Paul Haebig
U. M. Historic Tour 53 in 2006
July 10–24, 2006 — France
For information:
Conlin Travel, 3270 Washtenaw Ave, Ann Arbor, MI 48104
Contact: Sharon at (888) 426-6546 ([email protected])
U. M. 46th Conference on Organ Music
October 1–4, 2006
Hill Auditorium
Music of France
Guests: Marie-Claire Alain, Maurice Clerc, UM Faculty, and others.
Marilyn Mason Prague Recording
Three Concertos:
First recordings of Emma Lou Diemer’s Alaska Suite; Petr Eben’s Second Concerto;
Sowerby’s Classic Concerto; and
William Bolcom’s Gospel Preludes, Volume IV.
For recording please send $15 with address for mailing to:
Marilyn Mason, University of Michigan School of Music, 1100 Baits Dr., Ann Arbor, MI 48109
22
be invited. This year, the Ann Arbor
AGO chapter organized a choral festival, dedicated to the late Donald
Williams, and Herman Taylor gave a
lecture entitled “The Joys and Sorrows
of Contemporary Church Music.”
At the choral festival, Ann Arbor AGO
Dean Edward Maki-Schramm gave
opening remarks, pointing out that this
effort relies upon the copious hours of
dedication and practice of many volunteers. He illustrated his point by
attempting to tabulate the cumulative
number of practice hours for all involved
in the service, which featured a choir
comprising volunteer singers from the
AGO board members’ churches. The
choir sang two anthems by Vaughan
Williams and Mendelssohn tentatively,
but seemed to relax and enjoy singing
Moses Hogan’s Music Down in My Soul.
Dr. Schramm confidently accompanied
the choir, and David Hufford played the
prelude, a solo within the service, and a
solid performance of the Toccata from
Duruflé’s Suite for the postlude.
The festival service included the
singing of several hymns as well, capably
led by Dr. Schramm at the console,
among them Sing a New Song to God,
with its athletic but very singable tune
composed by Kevin Bylsma. Unfortunately, for all its charms, Hill Auditorium is not conducive to worship, and is
deadly for congregational singing, especially when the “congregation” is spread
out among the padded seats. Future
planners of the conference’s worship
event would do well to choose one of the
nearby churches as the venue rather
than the 4000-seat auditorium.
One highlight of the choral festival
was the homily given by the Reverend
JoAnn Kennedy Slater, J.D., Ann Arbor
AGO chaplain. “Music,” she said, “is one
of the more visceral, organic thresholds
to God. Because of God’s incredible
trust and vulnerability we each then
have a share in that divinity and that joy
and wonder; and music is one way to
create and sustain such a sacred space in
our bodies, mind, and souls, in the
sacred spaces of our places of worship as
well as in the secular world of music as
entertainment.” Her remarks were
heartfelt and sincere, descriptive rather
than didactic, displaying an understanding of the ephemeral art of music.
On a more practical note, Herman
Taylor presented a lecture/demonstration he dubbed “The Joys and Sorrows of
Contemporary Church Music.” Having
retired from teaching at Eastern Illinois
University, he now serves as organist at
Immaculate
Conception
Catholic
Church in Charleston, Illinois. He
earned his master’s and doctoral degrees
at Michigan, and is a presenter or performer at the conference every few years.
For Taylor, the sorrow is that contemporary (read: pop style) church music in
its raw state is overly simplistic, devoid
of through-composition, modified
strophic forms, or creative harmonization. Recognizing quality in many of the
“contemporary” melodies and texts,
Scott Raab, Christopher Lees, and
Andrew Nardone (KC)
Jerome Butera and Marilyn Mason (SB)
however, Taylor finds joy in enhancing
the songs with more sophisticated harmony. He realizes that many composers
of contemporary songs simply lack the
musical training to harmonize their
melodies with any complexity. He has
contacted them about modifying and
elaborating on the harmony of their
songs, receiving positive responses. Taylor’s harmonic alterations are subtle but
do add richness to the songs, which he
invited the audience to sing while he
demonstrated his techniques. His wife,
Vivian Hicks Taylor, served as cantor.
Dr. Taylor also addressed “gospelizing”
hymns, a practice that includes adding
rhythm and passing tones to create a
Gospel feel.
A tribute to Robert Glasgow
Professor Robert Glasgow has formally retired from teaching, and as a tribute,
nine of his former students played a concert at Hill Auditorium. Thomas Bara,
Monte Thomas, Charles Kennedy,
Christopher Lees, Ronald Krebs, Joel
Hastings, Deborah Friauff, Douglas
Reed, and Jeremy David Tarrant
demonstrated the Glasgow legacy with
excellent performances of a wide variety
of repertoire. Tom Bara’s taut, compelling rendition of Mendelssohn’s Allegro, Chorale and Fugue was particularly
noteworthy, and Charles Kennedy
played the Brahms Chorale and Fugue
on “O Traurigkeit” with understated elegance. Joel Hastings played Vierne’s
Naïades to perfection, the fountain of
notes bubbling effortlessly and unaffectedly, and Jeremy David Tarrant negotiated the mammoth Prelude, Andante
and Toccata by Fleury with ease. Douglas Reed lent a touch of humor to the
program by choosing to play two movements from De Spiritum by William
Albright, a work requiring two assistants.
Following the program, guests mingled at a reception on the stage, offering
their greetings and congratulations to
Dr. Glasgow. One was struck by the
legacy Glasgow leaves in the form of his
many fine students. He taught as much
by the example of his own playing as he
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Robert Glasgow and Jeremy Tarrant (KC)
Albert Stanley (courtesy Bentley Historical
Library)
Robert Glasgow and Robert Griffith (KC)
Robert Glasgow and Jerome Butera (SB)
ever did with words. Observing his quiet
and elegant technique, coupled with
masterful and expressive interpretations,
was a year’s worth of lessons in itself.
Marilyn Mason’s considerable energy,
enthusiasm, and extensive connections
in the organ world make the Michigan
organ conference a high quality event,
serving both current Michigan students
and dozens of attendees from out of
town. She has done yeoman service by
offering a conference brimming with
serious academic content over a wide a
range of topics, sustaining her efforts for
nearly half a century to present a valuable, educational opportunity each
autumn. Kudos to you, Dr. Mason. Marcia Van Oyen earned master’s and doctoral degrees in organ and church music at
the University of Michigan, where she studied
organ with Robert Glasgow. She is associate
director of music/organist at Plymouth First
United Methodist Church in Plymouth,
Michigan. She is on the steering committee for
the 2006 national AGO convention and serves
on two national AGO committees. More information is available online at
<www.mvanoyen.com>.
Photos by Keary Campbell (KC), Marcia
Van Oyen (MVO) and Sharon Butera (SB).
125 years of music at Michigan
1880–2005
Organists loom large in the establishment of the School of Music, perhaps
none more prominently than classics
scholar Henry Simmons Frieze. Music,
though his avocation, was his passion.
Known for his deep religious faith and
keyboard skill, Frieze had supported
himself as a church organist and music
director prior to launching his academic career. It was Frieze, then professor
and acting university president, who
instigated the formation of a Messiah
Club involving four Ann Arbor churches in 1879, formalizing a collaboration
that had been active since 1860. The
Club was soon reorganized as the
Choral Union.
The following year, the University
Musical Society was founded, bringing
together the Choral Union and the student orchestra, with Leipzig-trained
Calvin B. Cady as director. At Frieze’s
suggestion, Cady was also hired as
instructor of music in the College of Literature, Science and the Arts. Cady started the Ann Arbor School of Music, precursor of the Michigan School of Music,
MAY, 2006
University Hall (courtesy Bentley Historical Library)
in 1880 with four teachers. Cady taught
piano, organ, harmony and composition.
Following half a century of European
artists holding sway in the realm of serious music-making in the United States,
after about 1850 Americans began to
establish their own institutions for
musical training. In 1862, Harvard University appointed an instructor of
music, and within the next two decades
a number of colleges and universities
had followed suit, including Michigan.
Conservatories also began to be established in the East, Peabody in Baltimore the first of these.
Cady’s successor, Albert A. Stanley, a
composer and organist from Providence, Rhode Island, also had studied at
the Leipzig Conservatory and gave frequent organ recitals to establish his
authority as a performer. In 1888, he
was hired as professor in the university
as well as director of the Ann Arbor
School of Music, with 248 students
enrolled. By 1889 the Ann Arbor School
of Music was floundering, and Stanley
resigned as director.
In 1892, the Ann Arbor School of
Music was reorganized as the University
School of Music, with Albert Stanley as
director. Lacking a decent instrument,
the University Musical Society acquired
the Columbian Exposition organ in
1893, an instrument built by Farrand &
Votey of Detroit for the occasion. This
organ had been heard by thousands in
Chicago during 1893, and its installation
in University Hall in Ann Arbor sparked
interest in organ playing. Stanley played
the dedication concert before a packed
house, including the governor of Michigan. The organ was designated the
Frieze Memorial Organ in tribute to
Henry Simmons Frieze, who had died in
1889. In 1913, the organ was moved to
the newly constructed Hill Auditorium,
which has been its home ever since.
When the time came to appoint a new
director for the School of Music,
Archibald T. Davison of Harvard and
Gustav Holst were considered, but it was
organist Earl V. Moore who was appointed professor of music in the University,
director of the Choral Union, and musical director of the School of Music in
1923. Moore had come to the university
in 1908, completing his B.A. in 1912. He
was appointed head of the organ department in 1913, and became university
organist in 1914. Moore was made Dean
of the School of Music in 1946, a post he
held for thirty-seven years. The present
School of Music building, designed by
Eero Saarinen and built in 1964, was
named the Earl V. Moore building in
1975. Palmer Christian had succeeded
Moore as university organist in 1924,
holding the position until 1947, and he
in turn has been succeeded by only two
others: Robert Noehren (1949–1976)
and Marilyn Mason (1976–).
Several noteworthy facts offer insight
into the development of the Michigan
School of Music. In 1929, the School of
Music was accepted into the University
of Michigan, giving faculty members
academic rank in the university. The
master’s degree was also created at this
time. In 1940, the School of Music was
made an autonomous unit of the University of Michigan, with professors on
salary rather than relying on student
fees, and in 1941 the School of Music
began to provide summer programs at
Interlochen. In 1945, the school offered
a Ph.D. in musicology and music education, and less than a decade later in 1953
the D.M.A. in composition and performance was created to certify teachers for
new college positions.
The Michigan School of Music, one of
the oldest and largest such schools in the
country, celebrates its 125th anniversary
this academic year. Musicology professor Mark Clague cites the following hallmarks of the music school’s history:
excellence in performance and scholarship, entrepreneurial spirit, service to
the university and community, balance
of openness and tradition, and sensitivity
to race and gender. A fine example of
these hallmarks is William Bolcom’s epic
Songs of Innocence and Experience,
which has received three Grammy
awards, including Best Classical Album.
In the vein of entrepreneurial spirit, the
School of Music has recently launched
Block M Records, giving Michigan students and faculty the opportunity to
record, produce and distribute original
material without having to go through an
outside company. This venture affords
students hands-on experience with
recording and production, and allows
University-based musicians to receive
greater benefit from recording sales. All
recordings are distributed via the Internet at <blockmrecords.org>, which is a
particular boon for avant-garde artists
seeking an audience.
Primary Sources
Mark Clague, “Tales of the School of Music,”
lecture, October 2005.
Richard Crawford, 100 Years of Music at
Michigan (Ann Arbor: School of Music,
1980).
James Wilkes, Pipe Organs of Ann Arbor
(Ann Arbor: James O. Wilkes, 1995).
First Congregational Church
P A L O
A L T O ,
C A L I F O R N I A
Image courtesy of John Miller Architects © 2005
W
E ARE pleased to announce the design and construction of a new pipe
organ for First Congregational Church of Palo Alto, California. The
instrument’s two cases were penned in consultation with John Miller Architects of
Mountain View and will be a significant element in the church’s redesigned
chancel. With 49 stops on electric slider windchests, the organ’s stoplist was
developed in close collaboration with the church’s Assistant Music Director and
Organist, Joe Guthrie. The instrument is currently being constructed in our
workshops and will be completed during the summer of 2006.
Orgues Létourneau Ltée
In the USA: 1220 L Street N.W.
Suite 100 – No. 200
Washington, DC 20005-4018
Toll Free: (800) 625-PIPE
Fax: (202) 737-1818
e-mail: [email protected]
In Canada: 16355, avenue Savoie
St-Hyacinthe, Québec J2T 3N1
Telephone: (450) 774-2698
Fax: (450) 774-3008
e-mail: [email protected]
www.letourneauorgans.com
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